Summer Sweets
by Kirenza
Summary: During a patrol of the Lower Quarter, Flynn finds Yuri speaking with a lost little girl. Yuri and Flynn friendship oneshot. Minor post-game spoilers.


A/N: Originally inspired by an imagine your OTP prompt about ice cream and brainfreezes, but there's no shipping in this one. Also, I think the reason I write fluff/happy stuff so much is because I'm not the best with long plots or conflict. I guess.

Anyway, this one was super fun to write! So I hope you enjoy it, too!

* * *

For a midsummer afternoon it was fairly cool,with breezes rolling through from the plains to the east of Zaphias. Even donned in his full uniform and armor, Flynn felt only the minimal effects of the sun beating down above, not a cloud in sight to blot it out. As he strolled down through the Citizens' Quarter people bowed in passing—something he hadn't gotten used to and probably wouldn't for a while. Yes, he may be commandant now, but in his heart he still belonged to the people of the Lower Quarter and felt that such respect was unfit for him. Especially considering all the help he'd gotten along the way to reach this lofty position.

But entering the Lower Quarter was like coming home. He felt his lips curl up into a smile as children ran to his side, trailing after him as he continued through the streets on his inspection of the peace. Despite their tattered clothes and worryingly thin frames, their faces beamed with hope and enthusiasm and joy. _This_ was why he stuck with the knights. If these children could find joy in spite of their dire life circumstances, he could bear the responsibility of keeping the peace and assuring them they had a reason to smile.

They went their separate ways after a while. As Flynn crossed the fountain a second time, he noticed Yuri by the Comet, crouched down and talking to a little girl no older than five or six. He realized something was amiss as she kept wiping at her face and eyes, and so he walked briskly over to join them. Yuri glanced up when he heard Flynn approach, his concerned expression softening as their eyes met.

"What seems to be the problem?" Flynn said as he knelt to their level.

"This little one got lost."

The girl wiped a stray tear from her cheek, looking towards Flynn only briefly before turning away again, fear-stricken and trembling. But she didn't seem like the other children of the Lower Quarter; she was dressed far too nicely, her blonde hair full and well-kept. Gently Yuri patted her head and spoke soothing assurances until eventually her tears subsided.

"Sounds like her mom was getting groceries in the Citizens' Quarter, and she somehow wandered down here," Yuri explained.

"That's quite a walk."

Yuri returned his focus to the girl. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Charlotte." Her voice was so quiet Flynn barely caught what she'd said.

"Right. Let's find your mommy now, okay?"

With a sniffle she nodded. Both men stood and Yuri held his hand out to her. She took it, and Flynn mirrored his actions, Charlotte hesitantly curling her fingers around his pinky and ring finger before they started for the Citizens' Quarter. They were forced to go slowly, the girl doing her best to keep up with their pace. Flynn mused whether it would be easier for one of them to just carry her—especially once they reached the ramp leading out of the Lower Quarter. But they managed fine all the way up, taking a short break once they'd reached the top. Charlotte stood breathless with cheeks flushed from the trek up the incline.

"Maybe we should carry her," Flynn spoke. "It'll be hard to walk through the marketplace like this."

"Yeah. She looks beat, too." Yuri grinned and knelt down to her. "Hey, how about a piggyback ride?"

Both Flynn and the girl regarded him with surprise. After a moment she nodded, and Yuri shifted so his back faced her, pulling his hair over one of his shoulders. She glanced over to Flynn, and he realized she was wordlessly asking for help. Flynn hefted her up and set her atop Yuri's back, and she slid her legs through the makeshift stirrups formed by Yuri's arms, gripping his shoulders. He kept a hand at her back as Yuri stood again. In a momentary panic Charlotte flung her arms around Yuri's neck and held on for dear life, causing him to stumble back a step in surprise.

"It's okay," Flynn said. "He won't drop you."

Slowly she loosened her grip and rested her head against his neck, giggling as his hair tickled her cheeks and they continued on their way.

"You have pretty hair, mister," she murmured.

"Not as pretty as yours," Yuri teased. Charlotte smiled sheepishly and buried her face in his hair for a moment, soliciting laughter from both Yuri and Flynn. They crossed over the main street through Zaphias and stood before the marketplace.

"So how exactly are we gonna do this?" Yuri said, turning from the crowd of people to regard Flynn.

"It was your idea. I thought you knew what you were doing."

He shrugged a little. "Sorry. You know me, Flynn. I don't plan ahead."

"You really need to work on that."

Though he supposed going with your instincts wasn't inherently bad; he tended to do that himself, putting his own safety on the line when others were at risk of injury. But this was different. There was no need to act on instinct now.

"Do you remember where you were, Charlotte? Before you got lost?" Flynn spoke. Her shoulders tensed and her grip tightened slightly, fear starting to overcome her face.

"He's not gonna hurt you. He's just trying to help," Yuri assured her. "Where was your mom at?" She turned her face away from Flynn, murmuring her reply in Yuri's ear. "Getting fruit. Okay. That's not too far in."

Yuri adjusted his grip and they threaded through the crowd. The woman was probably long gone by now—but perhaps she'd asked assistance from one of the knights patrolling nearby. As they reached vendors selling fruits and vegetables Yuri stopped to scan the area. He recounted Charlotte's description of her mother: tall with blonde hair pulled up into a bun, a colorful dress clothing her with fabric that swished down to her knees.

"Let me ask one of my men," Flynn spoke, forced to raise his voice to be heard over the chatter of the marketplace. "Just stay here." People were quick to make way as Flynn advanced through the crowd. In no time at all he reached one of the posts, the knight on duty speaking with a distraught young woman who matched Charlotte's description.

The knight offered a firm salute as Flynn approached them. "Commandant Flynn! Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, actually. We found a lost child looking for her mother."

"You found my Charlotte?" the woman exclaimed, folding her hands together and bringing them to her chest. When Flynn nodded relief washed over her face and she thanked him profusely. Flynn led the way back to the marketplace, hoping Yuri had obeyed his words and stayed in the area. He probably hadn't. More than likely he'd wandered elsewhere, propelled by his insatiable curiosity and his sense of wanderlust. Sure enough, the dark haired man no longer stood near the vendors Flynn had left him by. Rather Flynn found him by the river cutting through the marketplace. Charlotte no longer rested atop his back, crouching instead to look at the water flowing by.

"What did I tell you, Yuri?"

"Sorry. She was getting too heavy." Yuri glanced behind him at the young woman. "Oh, did you find her?"

"Momma!" Charlotte rushed up and happily leaped into her mother's extended arms. The woman held her tight for a moment before picking her up and standing, not caring about the tears trickling down her cheeks.

"I can't thank you enough," she spoke, voice wavering on the verge of a sob. "How can I repay you? I have plenty of gald to spare."

Yuri waved his hand before resting it atop his hip. "We don't need it."

"Nonsense. You deserve something."

"Milady, it's quite all right," Flynn interrupted. "Your peace of mind is more than enough reward for us. Keep the money for yourself. Maybe go buy yourselves a treat—I'm sure Charlotte could use a pick-me-up."

The woman was speechless for a moment. "Are you certain? I'd hate to leave you two empty handed after all your work."

"He said keep it for yourself," Yuri spoke. "It wasn't that big a deal."

Flynn sighed quietly as the woman looked between him and Yuri. "I'm sorry," he murmured to her. "He has a hard time accepting rewards. It'd be easiest not to push the subject."

"Well, if you insist."

The woman thanked them again before bowing her head lightly and turning to leave, Charlotte peeking over her mother's shoulder and waving farewell. After Flynn returned the motion and the two disappeared into the marketplace he turned to Yuri, who heaved a sigh and rolled his shoulders.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, just sore. I haven't given a piggyback ride for a while." He caught onto Flynn's curious expression and laughed under his breath. "Ted used to ask for them all the time. Back before I left Zaphias and everything happened."

He smiled. "You really are a nice person, Yuri."

"Shut up." Yuri started on his way again and Flynn trailed behind him. They entered a less crowded section of the Citizens' Quarter and Yuri stopped before a building. "You got time for a break, right?"

It was a small ice cream shoppe, one Flynn recalled visiting once or twice when they were children and had the money to spare. A few minutes wouldn't hurt; he'd finished his patrol of the Lower Quarter anyway when he'd found Yuri and Charlotte. As they entered a bell chimed quietly in the doorway, a group of children threading past them with ice cream cones in hand back out into the summer afternoon. Flynn stepped up to the counter to order both their cones, knowing exactly what Yuri would want: plain vanilla with a coating of syrup and a cherry on top. Just like he used to get. As the swordsman reached into his pocket to pay Flynn slid enough gald to cover both of them onto the countertop, gently pushing Yuri's hand aside when he tried to offer him money.

"Flynn, c'mon."

"No. You're the one who found that girl, so just think of this as a reward. Now we're even."

"We're even? There wasn't anything to get even about."

Their conversation was cut off as the shopkeeper held out both their cones to them. Yuri muttered something unintelligible as he took his, already halfway towards the door by the time Flynn had grabbed his own. Back out into the afternoon they went. As they walked along Yuri seemed to have cooled down and finally accepted the fact that Flynn wouldn't take his money, no matter how much he insisted. Good for him. It was a lesson he needed to learn—that accepting rewards or assistance wasn't necessarily bad. Yuri plopped the cherry into his mouth and pulled off the stem, discarding it behind him, and Flynn began on his own treat. Cool, creamy vanilla swirled on his tongue and sent a shiver down his spine. How long had it been since he'd last had ice cream?

They took a seat at a bench nearby. As Flynn continued to eat a dull sensation started to prickle in his mind, and realized all to late what would soon come to pass. Sure enough, the tingling grew into something much worse—a headache of sorts, and with a grimace he rubbed at his forehead and subconsciously crouched over. Yuri's laughter rang in his ears, and had Flynn had a free hand, would've gladly jabbed him in the side.

"Gotta pace yourself there," Yuri said, still laughing.

"I know, I know," Flynn groaned.

"Didn't you used to get brainfreezes as a kid, too?"

"How should I remember?" Flynn straightened, though still rubbed at his forehead. As he glanced towards Yuri the dark-haired man chortled and pulled a face, obviously trying to keep more laughter at bay, but his efforts proved useless and it escaped him once more. Once the ache had subsided Flynn let his hand drop and leaned towards Yuri, capturing a dollop of ice cream with his tongue before sitting straight again.

"Hey!" Yuri glanced back and forth between Flynn and his treat, half of the top scoop now gone.

He licked the ice cream from his lips. "You shouldn't make fun of others' misfortunes."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't steal people's food either."

"Technically it's mine. I paid for it."

An exasperated groan sounded in Yuri's throat and he rolled his head back. But he kept his gaze on Flynn, and after a moment, the blond returned it.

"You missed some," Yuri said.

Flynn's brow furrowed. He knew full well of Yuri's penchant for pranks, but it wasn't so far-fetched an idea that he actually still had ice cream on him somewhere. And so he licked his lips once more. "Still there?"

"Here, I'll get it." He rose a thumb to Flynn's face to brush it away, but instead spread his hand and shoved his face to the side with a grin, laughing all the while.

Flynn caught himself before he fell onto the bench, shoving back at Yuri's shoulder and trying his hardest to hold his scowl. But he could never stay mad at Yuri for long, finding a smile already sneaking onto his lips as a chuckle rose in his throat. Yuri pushed back at him in turn and they came to bump into each other as they attempted to shove at the same time, completely dissolved into laughter by now. Ice cream trickled onto his fingers as it warmed up in the sunny afternoon, but he didn't care in the slightest—he was too busy burying his face into Yuri's neck from embarrassment as the laughter overtook his body.


End file.
